Fire strikes mosque where bomb suspect worshipped

Monday

Nov 29, 2010 at 12:01 AMNov 29, 2010 at 10:59 AM

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Someone set fire to an Islamic center yesterday, two days after a man who worshipped there was accused of trying to blow up a van he thought was full of explosives during Portland's Christmas tree-lighting ceremony. Other Muslims fear it could be the first volley of misplaced retribution.

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Someone set fire to an Islamic center yesterday, two days after a man who worshipped there was accused of trying to blow up a van he thought was full of explosives during Portland's Christmas tree-lighting ceremony. Other Muslims fear it could be the first volley of misplaced retribution.

Reports about the charges against Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a Somali-born 19-year-old who was caught in a federal sting operation, are testing tolerance in a state that has been largely accepting of Muslims. Muslims who know the suspect say they are shocked by the allegations against him and that he had given them no hint of falling into radicalism.

The fire at the Salman Alfarisi Islamic Center in Corvallis was reported at 2:15a.m., and evidence led authorities to think it was intentional, said Carla Pusateri, a fire-prevention officer for the Corvallis Fire Department.

Authorities don't know who started the blaze or exactly why, but they think the center was targeted because Mohamud occasionally worshipped there.

Mohamud was being held on charges of plotting to carry out a terror attack Friday on a crowd of thousands at Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square. He is scheduled to appear in court today.

On Friday, he parked what he thought was a bomb-laden van near the ceremony and then went to a nearby train station, where he dialed a cell phone that he thought would detonate the vehicle, federal authorities said. Instead, federal authorities moved in and arrested him. No one was hurt.

There were also no injuries in yesterday's fire, which burned 80 percent of the center's office but did not spread to worship areas or any other rooms, said Yosof Wanly, the center's imam.

Wanly said he was thinking about temporarily relocating his family because of the possibility of hate crimes.

The imam said Corvallis, a college town about 75 miles southwest of Portland, has long been accepting of Muslims.

"The common scene here is to be very friendly, accepting various cultures and religions," Wanly said. "The Islamic center has been here for 40 years; it's more American than most Americans with regards to age."

In Portland, Mayor Sam Adams said he has increased patrols around mosques "and other facilities that might be vulnerable to knuckle-headed retribution" after hearing of the bomb plot.

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